AWARD-winning Bury boss Mark Bedward is back in business.

And the ex-managing director of the collapsed Nationwide Telephone Company (NTC) has recruited twelve of his former staff to help him.

Mr Bedward, who has launched a new telecommunications company, operating from premises in Todd Street, has not ruled out taking on many more ex-Nationwide staff.

In April, almost all the company's 100 Bury-based personnel were made redundant after receivers moved in.

A delighted Mr Bedward said: "At least ten per cent of the previous workforce are now employed again.

"Around 95 former staff have indicated that they would like to join the original management team again."

And looking optimistically to the future, he added: "I see no reason why the business can't grow to the previous level."

But this week Mr Bedward is embroiled in a legal challenge, brought by bosses of southern-based Microcare Systems Ltd which has acquired Nationwide's UK-wide maintenance division from the receivers.

They claim customers being targeted by Mr Bedward belong to them, although the Bury businessman fiercely denies this.

A High Court injunction, obtained on Wednesday, instructs him to give Microcare Systems any original maintenance contracts between NTC and its customers by 4pm today .

The legal action also restrains the Bury entrepreneur from trading under the provisional name for his new business, "Nationwide Technology Services" or any other name resembling "Nationwide."

But Mr Bedward said: "We are quite willing to change our name, although our lawyers told us they'd be no problem in actually using it.

"But we decided it wasn't worth the hassle. All we want to do is to concentrate on looking after our customers." Commenting on the legal challenge being mounted over who had the right to target former Nationwide clients, Microcare Systems' managing director Mr Graham Woolley claimed: "Mr Bedward has been contacting customers.

"He has been causing, from our point of view, confusion as to who was providing the service."

Mr Woolley felt the High Court injunction was "appropriate to prevent the business from being damaged."

But Mr Bedward said: "They can't force customers to have a relationship with them.

The Bury boss continued: "Many have been ringing us, saying they are not prepared to be forced to do business with someone they don't know.

"We should all be concentrating on looking after customers and spending less time worrying about legal action."

Microcare Systems, whose parent company is Manorgate UK Ltd, employs 58 staff nationwide - 30 based in Bury.

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